80 - The Holy Spirit, New Covenant, and the Spiritual Life - Part 2 [B]

With regard to the election; evil succeeds because good men do nothing. God’s permissive will is not necessarily His desire. Christians fail when, like the pagan, they fail to show up to learn God’s Word and aren’t courageous enough to be leaders in the counter culture of God.

Contrast the glory of the Law, though it is insufficient, with the more glorious sufficiency of the Spirit which equips us to be ministers of the New Covenant. It has been thought there were two New Covenants, one of them with the Church. But the New Covenant is with the House of Israel and the House of Judah. The Church’s participation comes not on the human side, but on the divine side because of our identification with Christ. See how the New Covenant is yet to be fulfilled but blesses the Church who has a role, through the Holy Spirit, as ministers of this covenant. Learn the elements of conditionality and unconditionality in covenants and why more appropriate words, permanent and temporary, may be applied. Follow the future history of Israel’s restoration, God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His covenants and the differences in spiritual life as God’s ages in history are fulfilled.